After being hospitalized for 8 days, Santa Elena Resident Marlon Peters died from a savage beatdown he reportedly suffered at the hands of his friend. On Wednesday, July 26, the man who beat him to death was charged for manslaughter.

Peters, a 38 year-old employee of the Ministry of Works in Cayo, was socializing with his friend and co-worker, Errol Smith, on the evening of Friday, July 14. Neighbors don’t know exactly why the two got into an argument, but they told the media that they heard the alleged assailant railing and cursing at Peters.

The victim reportedly got out of his vehicle and stood near the entrance of a home on Maxi Street, in Santa Elena Town. That’s when they had a confrontation, which eyewitnesses say that Peters did not participate in. He did not answer to the harsh language his friend was throwing at him, and when this man started savagely beating him, Peters did not fight back.

That reportedly did not stop the man from punching him and kicking him several times in the head, the face, and all over the body. Those injuries sent him into an unconscious state, and persons nearby tried to revive him. When they couldn’t, he was rushed to the San Ignacio Hospital, and later to the KHMH. That’s where he remained in a coma until early on Saturday, July 22, when he succumbed to those injuries.

The alleged assailant, Errol Smith, has since turned himself into police custody in the presence of his attorney. Police say he is being questioned, and they are trying to find out what triggered him to beat his friend into a bloody pulp. Police say that they intend to forward their investigation file on the case to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to and wait for her advice on whether they should criminally charge Smith or not.

Marlon Peters’ relatives describe him as a family man who spent a lot of time with his son and daughter. One cousin told the media, “I could always remember him as being a loving, kind person.”